Mid Winter in May!

Skiing powder in the San Juan Mountains, Colorado in May

I woke up this morning thinking it was February, with a snowstorm outside! Matt and I went up and skied/splitboarded about a foot of fresh powder.

Snowy trees, Colorado

It’s amazing how wintery it still is up in the mountains, with a full mid-winter snowpack, even at the lower elevations. The spring skiing should be great around here, if spring ever comes.

Skiing United States Mountain

Skiing United States Mountain near Ouray, Colorado

As you drive into the town of Ouray on Main Street, you can often see a gleaming snowcapped peak looming up the valley to the southwest – this is United States Mountain. Today we hiked up there and scored a great ski/snowboard descent!

Skiing United States Mountain, San Juans, Colorado

Skier: Sean Hart.

United States Mountain near Ouray, Colorado

A view of the line we hiked and skied/snowboarded. There’s a large couloir hidden amongst the top cliffs, which we ascended and descended.

A Wintery Welcome

Ouray, Colorado - snowy in May

After a series of flights and frantic airport connections on Sunday, I finally made it back home to Ouray from Europe! It was quite a shock to come from full-on spring in Germany and Switzerland to full-on dumping snow in Ouray! It seems that spring is in no hurry around here; the trees are still bare and there looks to be quite a bit of snow in the higher peaks. The photo above was taken on Monday morning after about 8 inches of fresh snow blanketed the town overnight.

The recent snow melted in a few days and today I went on a hike up one of the drier trails in the Amphitheater above town.

Ouray, Colorado in May

It’s always interesting to return to the San Juans after visiting foreign mountains. I see with fresh eyes and appreciate the subtle characteristics that make these mountains unique. For example, while the mountains around Ouray aren’t quite as large, dramatic, and glaciated as the Swiss Alps around Engelberg, these mountains are more complex, with a much broader network of connected valleys and branching terrain.

Anyhow, it feels great to be back, and I look forward to a fun summer – especially when Claudia gets here in July! But first, a couple months of springtime adventures on the snow!

The Sandstone Mountains

Elbsandstein sandstone mountains near Dresden, Germany

Last week we were in Claudia’s hometown of Dresden, Germany, visiting her family there and seeing the sights of this beautiful city. One day Claudia’s father Gundolf and brother Ferdinand took us to the nearby Elbsandstein Mountains, aka the “Saxonian Switzerland”. I was surprised and impressed by these mountains, which are among the more unique mountains I’ve seen. Large sandstone towers jut out of the surrounding forests and hills like a surreal combination of Utah canyonlands and the Pacific Northwest. Gundolf led us on a fantastic day hike that wound through narrow gorges, foggy forests, high ridges, and also included several climbing routes and via ferrata scrambles along the way. Continue reading “The Sandstone Mountains”

Bernese Oberland Ski Hut Tour

Kransbergfirn, Aletschhorn, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland, skiing

Skiing, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland, Äbeni Flue, Konkordiaplatz

Finsteraarhorn, skiing, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland

Galmihorn, skiing, Bernese Oberland, Switzerland

This last week I went on a ski hut tour in the Bernese Oberland mountains of Switzerland. This is the heart of the Swiss Alps, and during the course of 6 days we skied a variety of routes across the largest glacier system in the Alps. Each night we ate and slept in Swiss alpine huts along the way.

Read further to see the whole trip report from this incredible adventure, with LOTS more photos and info about the trip! Continue reading “Bernese Oberland Ski Hut Tour”